𝐑 𝐎 𝐒 𝐀 𝐋 𝐈 𝐄 ' 𝐒 𝐏 𝐎 𝐕

A snowstorm is a heavy fall of snow, along with high winds. Also known as the one thing I hate more than Roman King right this second.

Candle's light up the living area of Roman's family home. The glowing warmth is a stark contrast to the pitch-black house and the outside as all the houses in the neighborhood remain blacked out.

Deathly silence fills the room, our breathing the only source of sound that can be heard – it's that quiet. Roman's rugged features are lit by the candles as he sits across from me on the sofa, on the other side as far away from each other as we can be.

The silence between us is palpable. I don't know what's worse, being stuck in my first snowstorm in Boston...or being stuck in it with Roman in his childhood home.

If we were any two other people, this setting could be seen as a romantic one and if we were in a movie or a book, this is where the sensual lovemaking would happen. But we're not. Instead, our silence is the only thing stopping us from going at each other's throats...again.

"You said we would be back before the storm hit!" I screeched as Roman continued to drive. The snow had come down even harder than before, which didn't look good for us.

"Well, the forecast changed. My mom's house is closer than the hockey house and your apartment, so we'd be safer crashing there until it blows over," Roman explained.

"Will we not be able to make it back to the hockey House or my apartment before the storm hits?" I asked Roman with some hope in my voice.

"Considering it's already coming down quite hard, it's safer to go to my mom's house." Roman stated. The next few minutes of silence were tense, with neither of us saying a word. My focus was on the heavy snowfall while he was focused on the road ahead which was obscured by the snow-covered windscreen. I felt his eyes look over at me a few times. "You seem tense."

"I'm fine," I deadpanned, and I could feel his burning stare, which made me look at him and raise my eyebrow. "What?"

A slow smirk appeared on his face. "You're scared."

"I am not."

"You are."

I scoffed. "Ok maybe a little, but not of the snowstorm, more so about the power outages."

"You're afraid of the dark?" Roman raised his eyebrow.

"Only when I'm alone. Tell anyone or be a dick to me about it and I will make sure your dick gets sliced off with the ice skate." I pointed at him, and I saw the side of his mouth twitch up at the sides.

We didn't speak after that. He carefully drove through the streets and soon enough he pulled up into the driveway of a two-storey home. As soon as he did, the lights all around the neighborhood went out.

Roman huffed. "Well, shit."

Roman leaned over me and opened the compartment in front of me. He took out a torch before he handed it to me, so we could get into the house. We got out of the truck, and I turned on the torch as we made our way inside. As soon as we stepped inside the house, we heard howling and I looked towards Roman, who pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Is that your dog?"

Roman nods. "You two have something in common. You both hate the dark. He gets like this every time there is a power outage. Maybe point the torch towards the floor so you don't step on him."

The noise of incoming tapping filled my ears and with the torch pointed to the floor, it landed on a bulldog who walked towards us leisurely. Roman crouched and petted the dog, who whined, now happy he wasn't alone.

I kneeled and petted the dog as he came to sit in front of me. "What's his name?"

"Buster, and he was very offended when the picture of his face on my pajama pants got sent around campus," Roman stood and I rolled my eyes.

"Aww no, you wanted your face to be seen by everyone, didn't you?" I held Buster's face as I petted him.

"There are some candles in the house we can light. Something Naomi is going to tell me I told you so for, because I told her candles are stupid." Roman got his phone out and used the torch on his phone before he stalked off.

I stood up after I petted Buster for a little longer before I shone the torch around the house. I walked towards the wall in front of me and shone the torch against the pictures on the wall. My eyes ran over the different ones. From Roman as a child with an older woman and a girl close to his age who must be his mother and older sister.

"Moms obsessed with showing off family pictures." Roman's voice had me turning my head to see him bound down the stairs. "Here."

As Roman handed me some candles, we made our way around the house to place the candles. More so in the living area of the house and a few around the kitchen before we ran out.

Once all lit, while the house wasn't extremely bright, you could make out everything in the living area and briefly the kitchen, meaning we wouldn't be walking into anything now.

One problem solved...second problem, spending time alone with Roman while we rode out the storm.

❈❈❈

"Who wanted our daughter to stay in Los Angeles to attend college? But no, her mother encouraged to see other places and move states just like she did and now she's in the middle of a snowstorm," My dad's voice came through the other end of the phone as I sat on the sofa with my knees tucked up.

My eyes flickered over to Roman, who stood in the kitchen, on the phone to his own mother, who rang him to make sure he was inside and safe.

"We get it. You wanted her to stay in LA. Well, that didn't happen. Move on Noah," Mom sighed, and I chuckled. "How is it over there, honey?"

"Power hasn't returned, and I guess it won't until the storm lets up. At least I'm not on my own, no matter how annoying Roman can be," I stated.

"I heard that!" Roman bellowed from the kitchen and I stuck my tongue out at him. "Sorry about that, I was being insulted by a girl who can't skate to save her life."

"Better than your figure skating ass," I scoffed.

"Lia!" Mom's voice came through the phone, followed by a sigh. "You're a bad influence on her," She added, and I could tell she was scolding my dad.

"I taught her well," Dad replied, and I could tell he's as smug as anything. "Tell that ice skating pansy that if he touches you, me, your Uncle Dylan, Nick and Aiden will come up and beat his ass."

"Hockey players versus football players? How new," Mom sarcastically replied. "Anyway, stay safe darling and for the love of my sanity, do not get your father's hatred for ice hockey players."

I snickered as Roman walked over and sat down at the end of the couch, no longer on the phone. "Will do for the first one. I make no promises for the second."

"Love you, baby," Mom said, and I happily told her that back before I put the phone down.

"Thanks to you, I got shouted at by my mother," Roman scoffed and I smirked.

"Aww, is the big, bad, hockey playing Roman King still getting told off by his mommy?" I pouted, and he shot me a glare.

"This storm cannot pass quick enough." Roman leaned his head back on the sofa.

"Trust me, I do not want to be stuck with you either." I crossed my arms as my eyes focused on assessing the house I had never been in before.

"You know you've always had a problem with me," Roman snapped.

I looked at him in disbelief and my jaw dropped. "Maybe that's because you hit my car and blamed me."

"Please, you've always had a stick up your ass, especially when we both got chosen to help the professor," Roman pointed out and I grit my teeth.

"Yeah, well believe it or not playing hockey as my professional career isn't my first choice."

Roman threw his hands up in the air. "And there it is."

"Oh, come on. Biochem is my future. For you, it's Plan B or even C, you just like proving to everyone you're not some dumb jock."

"So, because I want hockey as my professional career, I don't deserve to excel in my studies?" Roman raised his eyebrow.

"Of course you do. I'm not saying that. Biochem is all I have. I don't have some back up like biochem is for you and helping the professor and taking opportunities will look good for me in the future. It won't even matter for you," I vented, and he grit his teeth. From the corner of my eye, I saw Buster run out of the room. Clearly, we were too loud for him.

"Rosalie Jackson being snobby yet again," Roman shouted, and my jaw dropped. "Least you have daddies' money to fall back on."

"Oh, fuck you, Roman!"

Silence has followed us ever since. He never replied, and I never looked at him. Both of us filling the silence by tapping away on our phones. Mine is an explicit description to Cara of how I will murder Roman and her replying with humorous remarks. While I do, my other hand strokes Buster who is now on the couch with his head resting on my lap much to Roman's annoyance.

My stomach rumbling grabs my attention and Roman looks over at the noise. "Shut up. I'm hungry, okay? Is there anything in here that doesn't require cooking?"

Roman stretches as he stands up, and I look away from his top that is rising. He heads into the kitchen and rummages around before coming back with bags of chips and some candy, throwing them onto the coffee table.

"Mostly chips." Roman opens the packets, apparently as hungry as I am.

"What would your coach say about this?" I raise my eyebrow, knowing athletes have to fuel their bodies with the right food.

"Well, I'm starving and am trapped here. I have no choice." Roman shrugs as hands over the bag and my eyes flicker to his before I take some from the bag. "Let's play a game."

His sudden idea takes me off guard. "Seriously?"

He picks up the candy. "If you catch it, you get to ask the other person something. If you don't, they get to ask you. Really want to miss the chance to get some dirt on me?"

I sigh tiredly, rubbing my temples. "As much as I'd love that—"

He rolls his eyes as my sarcasm.

"—I've already spent a whole day with you, now I'm stuck with you in a snowstorm. I would rather sit in silence until it passes."

"Trust me this is not my first choice either but the last time I checked, we're the only ones here and it's going to stay that way until it passes. It's too early for us to be tired enough to sleep, and I don't do well with silence," Roman scoffs, crossing his arms and slouching down on the sofa.

"Really? I couldn't tell with how you were bouncing your knee up and down constantly," I remark, sarcastically and his jaw tenses, yet his knee stops bouncing.

"You know I could easily kick you out into the snowstorm considering it's my mother's house."

"I'd feel better taking my chances out in the snowstorm, than in here with you anyway." I spit out, my face growing warm from yet another round of arguing.

Roman shakes his head. "You wouldn't last two seconds."

My jaw drops. "Yes I could."

"Because a five foot six girl can outstand a snowstorm? You'd get hypothermia before you'd admit defeat wouldn't you? I know you too well," Roman says, throwing a smirk my way and I grind my teeth together and he groans. "Just play the damn game!"

"Fine!" I shout, throwing my arms into the air. Uncomfortable silence surrounds us yet again and my eyes flicker over to him when I see him move his hand, showing me the candy. I sigh and spin around slightly to face him, yet keep most of my body facing forward. He throws it and I catch it in my mouth.

"You got lucky," Roman grumbles and my lips tilt up slightly. "Ok, ask away."

I tap my chin in thought. "Did you or did you not hit my car in freshman year?"

Roman shoots a glare my way before he huffs. "Ok, so maybe I did. I was running late."

I snatch the bag of candy off him and throw a piece of candy, which he catches. "Shoot."

A cocky grin appears on his face as he rests his arm over the back of the sofa. "Do you find me attractive?"

I swallow my pride before shrugging. "I think you're decently looking, but I'm not attracted to you."

"That's the nicest reply I'm going to get, isn't it?" He asks, and I nod my head. He throws one up and I catch it before asking the same question he asked me.

"Do you find me attractive?"

Roman chuckles at my question before looking me square in the eyes. "Yes."

At my surprised expression, he shrugs nonchalantly before I pick up another candy and throw it in, which he catches. "Damn you."

Roman chuckles. "Did your dad pay for the repairs on your car?"

I scoff at his audacity and stand up. "And there we go, our getting along goes out the window because in your mind I'm always a spoiled little rich girl."

"I haven't been proven wrong," Roman stands up, towering over me.

"No, you asshole. I paid for the repairs myself. Believe it or not, I've worked since I was sixteen. I pay for everything myself. So maybe pull that judgemental stick out of your ass," I shout.

"Says the one who gets annoyed that I take opportunities even though hockey is my focus."

"Go to hell!"

"Right behind you."

What happened next, I did not expect...

Roman King is kissing me.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄

「 Soooo that just happened. Thoughts? Also everything will come together and make sense in the next few chapters.

Thank you so much for all the love on PO, the reads, the comments, the votes. It means a lot you are loving the story I've worked on for months and months. The next chapter is going to be a good one, so Monday cannot come soon enough. 」